# Find your catchment report before your nitrates advisor call *Published 2026-10-04 by FarmAI Ireland* To find your Irish catchment report, identify the catchment on the EPA Water Map, then use Catchments.ie's Data page to open its assessment. Save the report's name, date and waterbody codes. If you searched for “DAFM catchment reports nitrates derogation”, keep two jobs separate: understanding local water quality and confirming the rules that apply to your farm with DAFM or your advisor. ## Where do you find the right catchment? Start with the EPA's [local-catchment guide](https://www.catchments.ie/where-is-my-local-catchment/). A catchment is the area draining to a river or waterbody; a subcatchment is a smaller part of it. A county boundary is not a drainage boundary. Land in one holding may drain to more than one place. The [EPA Water Map instructions](https://www.catchments.ie/water-map/) describe address, Eircode, county/town and coordinate searches. Locate the relevant land, then examine the catchment and subcatchment layers. Note the names and codes. Repeat for other parcels if they are in different areas. If you cannot identify the boundary confidently, save a map view and ask your advisor to confirm it. A chatbot guessing from a county name is not a substitute for the map. ## How do you download the catchment report? The EPA's [Cycle 3 report page](https://www.catchments.ie/wfd-cycle-3-catchment-reports/) gives this route: 1. Open the [Catchments.ie Data page](https://www.catchments.ie/data/). 2. Search for the catchment name, or select it on the Ireland map. 3. Open that catchment's page and follow its Catchment Assessment PDF link. Save the file with the catchment name and download date. Keep the source URL alongside it. If you need a subcatchment assessment rather than the larger catchment report, check the selected area and report heading before treating the two as interchangeable. ## What should you check before reading it? Check the report's cycle and evidence period. The EPA says its Cycle 3 catchment reports are largely based on information available to the end of 2021. Downloading one in October 2026 does not make its observations 2026 observations. Use the contents and waterbody appendix to find the relevant river or waterbody code. Write down the status or pressure described, the section or page reference, and any uncertainty. Keep observation dates separate from publication and download dates. The practical outcome is a short evidence note: which place, which document, which period, and which question. You do not need to read every regional page before making an advisor appointment. ## Does the EPA report decide your nitrates limit? No. It provides environmental evidence. Do not infer a farm's permitted stocking rate from a coloured water-quality layer or an old assessment PDF. DAFM's [2026 derogation application announcement](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/press-releases/online-system-opens-for-2026-nitrates-derogation-applications-and-dairy-band-confirmation/) is a separate regulatory source. Ask your advisor to check the current official implementation map, application conditions and relevant parcels. Our [nitrates derogation explainer](/read/nitrates-derogation-2026-what-changed) provides context for that conversation. A search result headed “DAFM catchment report” may lead to a different document or an older map. Check who produced it and what decision it actually supports before using it. ## How can AI turn the report into advisor questions? Copy the relevant public report text and its headings. Use this prompt: > Using only this EPA report excerpt, list the catchment and waterbody codes, evidence dates, observations and uncertainties. Give a page or section reference for every statement. Then suggest questions for my nitrates advisor. Do not decide my farm's legal limit, infer parcel boundaries or claim these observations are current if the report uses older data. Check the output beside the PDF. Delete unsupported statements. Our [first AI prompts guide](/guides/chatgpt-first-10-prompts-farmers) covers this supplied-source approach. Take three questions to your advisor: have I identified the correct parcels and waterbodies; which current official map and scheme-year terms apply; and does this report suggest anything we should investigate further? Keep private application identifiers out of general chatbot inputs. ## Frequently asked questions **Are catchment reports and nitrates derogation maps the same thing?** No. An EPA assessment explains environmental conditions. The applicable DAFM rules and maps require their own current check. **What if I only know my county?** Locate the land on the official map. A county can contain several catchments; the county name alone is insufficient. **Can AI read the report for me?** It can organise supplied text into referenced questions. You still need to verify the summary and ask your advisor about farm-specific implications. ## The bottom line Save the right report, record its evidence dates and bring sourced questions to your advisor. Use AI to shorten the reading, while keeping the regulatory decision with the current official documents and professional advice. --- ## Sources - [EPA Catchments.ie — Where is my local catchment?](https://www.catchments.ie/where-is-my-local-catchment/) — The official starting point for identifying catchments and subcatchments - [EPA Catchments.ie — Cycle 3 Catchment Reports](https://www.catchments.ie/wfd-cycle-3-catchment-reports/) — Report access instructions and the end-2021 evidence period for Cycle 3 assessments - [EPA Catchments.ie — EPA Water Map](https://www.catchments.ie/water-map/) — Official map instructions, search options and catchment/subcatchment layers - [DAFM — 2026 nitrates derogation applications](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/press-releases/online-system-opens-for-2026-nitrates-derogation-applications-and-dairy-band-confirmation/) — DAFM's 2026 application announcement; a separate regulatory source from EPA catchment assessments --- *Source: [FarmAI Ireland](https://farmai.ie/read/find-catchment-report-nitrates-ireland)*